Monday, July 25, 2016

Wow. It's been so long since I've written a review I almost forgot what to do...

Three Truths and a Lie is touted as a psychological thriller. For me it was a twisted story, but I failed to get the heart pounding thrill that I was after.

Two couples decide to spend the weekend in a remote family cabin deep in the woods. Rob is excited. It will be a chance for he and his boyfriend Liam to get to know each other, and for Rob to understand the long friendship between Liam and Mia. Mia has a relatively new boyfriend, Galen, who Rob isn't to comfortable with.

Weird things begin to happen. Their satellite phone disappears, the outhouse gets destroyed, someone sets a fire in the burn pit. Galen tries to take charge and neither Liam or Rob trust him.

So who is sabotaging their weekend and why? Is it the neighbor who hates Mia's family for buying up the land? This seed is planted early, but never really takes hold. I don't think it's a spoiler to say this is obviously an "inside job." But which one of them?

I enjoyed the reading experience, but I gotta say, I forgot about Three Truths and a Lie quickly. I didn't get the tense feeling at all. I was surprised by the huge twist at the end, but really didn't think it "made" the book. I do think teens will enjoy Three Truths and a Lie more that I did.

Published by Simon Pulse, August 2, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
272 pages

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

I'm not usually a fan of books with a lot of fantasy elements, but The Sleeping Prince is an exception. The rich world building and lovable (and despicable) characters made this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Sleeping Prince is a companion novel to The Sin Eater's Daughter. It can be read alone or first. In fact, it had been a while since I read The Sin Eater's Daughter, and I didn't really remember all the relationships until the end of the book, but it didn't really matter.

Errin is struggling to survive after her father died and her brother, Leif, left to serve in the army. Leif hasn't been heard from, and Errin refuses to believe he is dead. Her mother is ill, and Errin believes she is somehow possessed because she gets very violent, especially around the full moon. Errin has used all her knowledge as an apothecary's assistant to cure her mother to no avail.

When the government declares that all must evacuate the village, Errin doesn't know what to do. She must keep her mother locked up and no one knows about her illness. The village will be taken over by soldiers in anticipation of an invasion by The Sleeping Prince. It seems he is no longer asleep and has taken over the neighboring country and slaughtered many including the royal family. His use of golems makes him a formidable opponent.

She gets help from a mysterious friend, Silas. He appeared in the village and is hiding in an empty cabin. He keeps his face hidden, but has helped Errin by paying her for her medicinal potions. Now he vows to help her by taking her and her mother to a safe but secret place. Errin puts her trust in him only to be betrayed.

The legends and histories of the different countries and characters at times was a bit confusing, but didn't stop me from following the story and feeling the tension.

Her journey to find her mother (who has been captured by the army) and find the secret place that Silas has revealed to her is exciting and perilous. I was stunned by the ending. This is not a happy situation, and I'm begging for the next book because really, you can't leave Errin in that situation very long, can you??

I can easily recommend The Sleeping Prince to my fantasy fans, and I can't wait to do so.

Published by Scholastic, May 31, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Sorry this post is late. Blogging on Annette's Book Spot has been sparse lately. We are in the final stages of building and moving into our new house! No time for reading... Hopefully you are continuing to make progress on your 2016 EBook Reading Challenge. Keep on Reading!

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About Me

I'm a high school librarian. I live in a small, fairly rural town with my husband, and a dog who is very spoiled. I love to read. I read mostly YA, my favorite is historical fiction, but I mix in the occasional adult novel and even some non-fiction. I love to write about what I've read and chat with others about what they've read, so blogging is perfect! I've just moved into a brand new house so I'm spending a lot of time decorating. My other hobbies are cooking and sewing.

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FTC Guidelines

Some of the books I review are Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) which are provided by a publisher or author to get my honest opinion of the book. The books are free, I get to keep them, and that's the only compensation I get for the review. Here's the FTC Guidelines.